President of Jharkhand unit of Samata Party Ramesh Singh Munda on Monday said his party may consider pulling out of the state's ruling BJP-led coalition if its saffron ally did not withdraw its nominee for the May 30 election to a Rajya Sabha seat against Samata nominee. Munda, who is one of the five Samata ministers who quit Babulal Marandi cabinet on the issue, said the coalition in the state might fall apart if BJP failed to pull out its nominee Abhay Kant Prasad against Samata's Raj Kishore Mahato.

He, however, said a final decision on the issue would be taken by central leadership of Samata Party on whose directive the party's representatives in the Marandi ministry resigned. Senior Samata leader Shravan Kumar, who is incharge of the party's Jharkhand affairs, said after the resignation of Samata ministers the ball was now in the court of BJP which now has to decide whether to maintain cohesion in NDA or let things go out of gear.

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The BJP-led combine's present strength in the 81-member state assembly is now 45 but if Samata Party pulls out, the government will be reduced to minority with 40 members, one short of majority.

Samata wanted BJP to give up and withdraw its candidate from the seat claiming a natural right over it but the BJP did not budge an inch despite an ultimatum of 48 hours served on it by the Samata for pulling out of the fray.
Bureau Report